Britain discussing Guantanamo suspects' repatriation

The British government said today it was discussing with the United States the possibility of repatriating British terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay to stand trial in Britain.

"We are discussing a range of issues with the US administration, including repatriation. Those discussions are continuing," a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

The US plans for military trials of a first batch of six foreigners - including Britons, Feroz Abbasi, 23 and Moazzam Begg, 35 - have caused worldwide outrage and put a strain on the close Anglo-American political alliance.

If convicted, the suspects could face the death penalty.

Adelaide-born David Hicks, captured fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan in November 2001, will be among the first alleged terrorists to face a US military commission.
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The 27-year-old has been held at the US military camp at Guantanamo Bay without charge for the past 19 months.

No date has been set for his hearing before the military tribunal, which has wide-ranging powers including the death penalty.

Australia has voiced its opposition to the death penalty but US Ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer said today America had a different view.

"We have a different view on the death penalty than they do and I think we would take all that into account, but we haven't sentenced anyone to death yet," he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

In Britain, the Fair Trials Abroad pressure group said the British government's announcement on possible repatriation was meaningless.

"The latest announcement that Downing Street is in active talks with the US regarding possible transfer does not amount to much," Fair Trials Abroad director Stephen Jakobi said.

"It is clear that this is just a reaction to overwhelming parliamentary pressure," he added in a statement, noting it did not matter where the trials took place as long as it was not under military jurisdiction.

Blair has repeatedly said his government is in close contact with Washington about the fate of the British detainees in the Guantanamo Bay prison camp on Cuba which was set up to house Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects after the September 11 attacks.

Blair has stressed Britain's opposition to the death penalty, expressed strong reservations about the proposed military tribunals and called for an open legal process.